This application claims the priority of German application 198 10 022, filed in Germany on Mar. 9, 1998, and PCT EP99/01138 filed in the European Patent Office on Feb. 22, 1999, the disclosures of which are expressly incorporated by reference herein.
The invention relates to a soft top for a vehicle, in particular a passenger vehicle, having a soft-top linkage which is mounted pivotably on soft-top supports on the body, the soft top being movable, by means of an actuating device, forwards from a rear storage position into a locking position lying above the windscreen frame.
Soft tops of the generic type mentioned at the beginning (for example DE 43 27 729 C2) are moved during the closing process by means of the actuating device from the rear storage position into a locking position situated above the windscreen frame. During the movement of the soft top from the storage position into the locking position, the entire center of gravity of the system is displaced relative to the main pivot, which has the consequence that the torque in the main support, which results from the weight, changes. Close to the closed position, the torque of the soft top acts in a closing manner. Since the drive of the actuating device stops abruptly in the locking position, there is a deflection of the roof front end, which may result in a collision with the windscreen frame and therefore in the formation of noise and in damage. In order to prevent this, sufficient spring deflection has to be made available. Although there is spring deflection in the case of a kinematic configuration with a locking position of the roof front end sufficiently far above the windscreen frame, very great effort is expended when closing and locking the roof front end.
The object of the invention is to develop a soft top of the generic type mentioned at the beginning in such a manner that sufficient spring deflection is made available, on the one hand, and, on the other hand, the closing force is kept low.
According to the invention, this object is achieved by providing a soft top of the type referred to above, wherein the soft top is stopped during the closing process by the actuating device, in a premounted position above the locking position and is supported in this position by at least one spring-loaded stop which is arranged on the soft-top support or on the body adjacent to the soft-top support.
Advantageous features of preferred embodiments of the invention include:
i The provision of a spring loaded stop on each longitudinal side of the soft top; PA1 ii The provision of extending each spring loaded stop in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle with a rear free end of each stop being operatively connected to the soft top linkage; PA1 iii The provision that each stop comprises an outer guide part, an internal displaceable slide, and a disc spring assembly; PA1 iv The provision that the outer guide part is connected in an adjustable manner to a receiving knot provided on the soft top support; PA1 v The provision that the displaceable slide is connected to the outer guide part via a screw at its end which faces the soft-top frame; PA1 vi The provision that the disc spring assembly is seated coaxially on the internal slide and is supported in a pre-stressed manner against the shoulder of the guide part at one end and at the other end against a collar on the end of the slide; PA1 vii The provision that each spring loaded stop interacts with a main pillar of the soft top frame or with a mounting part placed upon the soft top frame and belonging to the main pillar; PA1 viii The provision that the soft top is supported in the premounted position by the at least one spring loaded stop and that then a rear fabric-retaining hoop of the soft top is pivoted downwards and is locked to the soft top compartment lid line beneath it, subsequently the roof front end of the soft top being pressed down with a disc-spring assembly being compressed, from the premounted position into the lower line locking position; PA1 ix The provision that the drive of the actuating device is stopped once the spring-loaded stop is reached; and PA1 x The provision that the drive is set in motion for a certain timing element after the fabric-retaining hoop is locked.
The advantages primarily achieved by the invention are to be seen in the fact that, during the closing process, the soft top is stopped in a premounted position situated above the locking position and is supported in this position by the stop, and in that a balance is therefore set between the closing torque, which results from the weight of the system, and the torque acting against it, which results from the spring resistance of the spring-loaded stop. Once the system is at rest, the drive moves, by its residual travel, counter to the spring deflection of the stop. The position then reached (locking position) makes simple locking of the soft top with little expenditure of force possible. Since the accelerations during the movement of the drive counter to the spring resistance of the stop are small, further deflection can be disregarded.
An exemplary embodiment of the invention is represented in the drawings and is described in more detail in the following.